Domain authority

What is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a domain can rank in Google search results. The score ranges from 1 to 100, with a higher score indicating stronger authority and a higher chance of ranking high.

Important to know: Domain Authority is not an official Google ranking factor, but a Moz tool. However, many SEO specialists use this metric as a reference point to compare a domain's link profile and strength.

How is Domain Authority calculated?

Moz calculates DA based on various factors, including:

• The number of backlinks pointing to the site.
• The quality and reliability of those backlinks.
• Number of unique referring domains.
• The overall link structure and link profile strength.

The calculation is complex and dynamic: DA can fall or rise depending on how your link profile develops and how it relates to the rest of the web.

Why is Domain Authority important?

While DA has no direct impact on Google's algorithm, it's a useful comparison metric. It gives you insight into how strong your domain is compared to competitors.

• Competitive analysis: compare your DA with that of competitors to determine how much link building is needed to participate.
• Link building strategy: Use DA to assess whether a backlink from another domain could be valuable.
• Monitoring: a rising DA can be an indication that your link profile is getting stronger.

Domain Authority vs. Domain Trust

Domain Authority mainly looks at overall link profile strength, while Domain Trust (as measured by Majestic's Trust Flow or similar metrics) puts more emphasis on the quality and reliability of the sources.

A high DA therefore does not automatically mean high trust. The ideal scenario is a domain with both high authority (lots of strong links) and high trust (links from trusted sources).

Domain Authority Restrictions

It's important not to see DA as the measure of SEO success. It remains a third-party metric that says nothing about how Google itself actually rates your site. A high DA does not guarantee high rankings, just like a low DA does not automatically mean you have no chance. Ultimately, it's all about relevance, content quality, and EEAT.

Conclusion

Domain Authority is a useful metric for measuring a domain's strength and comparing it to competitors, but it's not an official Google ranking factor. Think of it as a tool in your SEO strategy, not an end in itself. The focus should always be on valuable content, a healthy link profile and reliability.